1. Field
Aspects of the present invention relate to an image forming apparatus in which a usage right is set according to user accounts, and a method of warming up the image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, an image forming apparatus may be embodied as a printer, a copier, a facsimile, or a multi function printer to print an image on a print medium (such as paper). As multiple operations have recently been integrated into one device, the multi function printer has also extended its operations.
Such a multi function image forming apparatus is generally connected to a plurality of user computers through a network. In this case, in order to prohibit an unauthorized user from using the image forming apparatus or a specific operation of the image forming apparatus, user accounts are set for the image forming apparatus to give a usage right to an authorized user allowing the user to use the image forming apparatus or the specific operation thereof.
Furthermore, such an image forming apparatus has a power save mode in which power is cut off to some components thereof to save power when printing is not performed for a specific time. In order to perform printing in the power save mode, the components to which power is cut off should be restored into a normal mode. To this end, warming up is needed.
However, the image forming apparatus in which the user accounts are set performs the warming up for all of the operations thereof regardless of the usage right. Similarly, when initial power is supplied to the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus performs the warming up for all of the operations thereof regardless of the usage right.
Typically, the warming up operation takes much time and power. Thus, the warming up for all of the operations regardless of the usage right in the image forming apparatus in which user accounts are set causes unnecessary consumption of time and power, and simultaneously causes inconvenience to a user.